V6 Timing belt/Water Pump replacement

[John Larson <jdlarson@ix.netcom.com>]

We`re an hour or so from the nearest dealer, and don`t see too many
later model Audis. We service 2 V6 cars, and both have had belts at
about 60K. We had a slight overheating condition on the 1st one we saw,
so we changed the thermostat with the belt. The customer began
complaining about a squeek that happened occaisionally on start up, and
began to become more common and more long lasting. Eventually, mild to
pronounced overheating began  to occur, and we went back in there. The
pump had siezed, and the new belt was sliding over the W/P pulley.
Scary. A new pump and another belt took care of it. In my opinion,
having worked on a lot of 944s, I would NEVER drive a car that fouls the
valvetrain over the recommended mileage. For 944s , a lot of shops say
40K, most Audi guys I know say 60K for a V6. The water pump is such a
minor expense that we always recommend replacement concurrent with the
belt and any tensioners. Pay a little more now, or a lot more later.
It`s just part of regular maintenance, like tune up parts or oil
changes, brake pads or tires.John.